Egg dying 2021

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Everybody loves Cookie Monster

Here's a cute one of cousins at Mason's first birthday:

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Quiet reading

The kids had to stay home from school for three days following spring break while we quarantined and waited for test results. During one moment of this time, I stumbled across them both reading peacefully.

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Odds and ends from Spring Break 2021

I'm falling behind on covering regular life, so I'm just going to throw the remainder of my photos from Santa Barbara into one last post.

Here's another favorite place to eat, Padaro Beach Grill (aka the place with the gigantic sandbox):

 

We didn't let anyone know that we were coming into town this year, but we ran into our old neighbors while walking down State Street anyway. They invited us to their place on another afternoon. It was great seeing them... the kids always get along so well.

Another day took the hike up to Inspiration Point. That view never gets old!

I wanted to show the kids the Frog Wall, so we tracked it down in the hills. This array of frog statuettes goes on for blocks:

This was our view while having some ice cream on the wharf:

Back to the beach:

No trip to Santa Barbara is complete without a walk through our old neighborhood to the Mission:

Omri, on the flight home, just after watching the sun rise:

I think that is it, at least until I get my film developed. It was an enjoyable trip, a nice respite from the routines and lack of color in our Minnesota life. I'm sure we will be back again one day...

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Leadbetter Beach

Another afternoon, another beach:

This seemed like a safe spot for dinner... one of our favorite spots, in fact:

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A bicycle built for 2-4

We've done this before too. Next time I think we'll be ready for four sets of pedals.

 

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Santa Cruz Island adventure

Five years ago we visited Anacapa Island. This year we set out for its larger neighbor, Santa Cruz Island.

The boat ride out of Ventura took a little over an hour.

I didn't have the right camera lens to capture any of it, but we saw some amazing wildlife, including hundreds of dolphins, two rare island foxes, and two gray whales, up surprisingly close.

It was a full day adventure. We had beautiful weather for it.

Veronica took any opportunity she could get to read a few pages of her book:

We took a long hike along the edge of the island.

This is not a great pic because it's a digital zoom on a cell phone, but I want to include it to show the scale of the cliff... notice the little people on top:

This would be a nice swimming beach if only there was a way to get down there:

Snack break:

There is a lot of history on this island.

That's Anacapa off in the distance:

Omri was sworn in as a junior park ranger:

 

Our ride back to the mainland:

Well, I don't think my photos did the scenery justice, but that's what I have.

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SB Museum of Natural History

Veronica came here frequently in the past, but this was Omri's first time.

That T-Rex is eyeing his dinner:

The dinosaurs on site were pretty cool:

Omri has taken to climbing on rocks:

The masked men:

This dried up river was great for some old-fashioned outdoor adventure time:

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